


New Constellations

by sanctum_c



Series: Renegade Endless Summer 2019 - Aerti Flavour [7]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Bad Weather, Camping, Constellations, Cosmo Canyon (Compilation of FFVII), Established Relationship, F/F, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: Rain prevents seeing the stars directly; Aeris and Tifa make do.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart
Series: Renegade Endless Summer 2019 - Aerti Flavour [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020456
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	New Constellations

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt '“The stars look especially lovely tonight.”'

“The stars sure are lovely tonight.” Rain hammered down on the ground outside, the sky dark and anything outside the cave lost to the gloom. Aeris huffed and blew a bang away from her eyes, shifting a little closer to the fire.

“Probably.” Beside her Tifa peered up to the darkened sky. “They probably look great above the clouds.”

“I think Nanaki needs some more practice at his weather predictions.” The falling rain provoked a shiver. She shifted again, closer to Tifa this time and laid her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. And such a good plan at the time.

A holiday alone for the two of them; but not to any familiar place. Aeris had insisted on a true adventure, away from the tourists and the familiar. Discussion at last settled on the mountains behind Cosmo Canyon. Possibly not a totally fair choice. Nice to start off on familiar ground and see an old friend. And Nanaki able to update them on his various observations of the heavens. He was still figuring out all the ins and outs of his grandfather’s equipment, but was still capable of rendering the heavens using the observatory’s holographic projectors.

He calculated a meteor shower and a clear night some three days after their planned leaving of Cosmo Canyon – something to keep an eye out while they made their way across the mountain range. The mildness of recent nights might mean she and Tifa could sleep out in the open, dozing off under the night sky. It sounded pretty perfect. And the relative isolation should allow for other shared activities too. Nanaki raised a few concerns for their safety; as if Aeris was not well acquainted with using her staff; as if Tifa could not punch pretty much anything they would encounter into next week.

But they demurred when he insisted. Their provisions swelled to include a number of flares for emergencies. And Cid, Barret and Vincent aware of their proposed destination and estimated route. If they were overdue getting home, their friends would seek to find them, though no one wanted matters to come to that point.

They had prepared for most eventualities. But not the weather at night; why they had a tent. At least they had more space like this; the downpour began late afternoon and the cave was right there. They were not stuck per se, but not eager to venture outside like this. And not as if they were missing anything in the sky. This was nice. Not the plan, but spending time together like this was good.

“Guess we can at least hope it’ll be clearer tomorrow.” Tifa surveyed the cave again. “And hope nothing lives here.”

A valid concern all across the Planet. There was at least no signs of anything indicating a monster den. Nor did the cave open up into underground caverns. Nothing but a shallow shelter in the mountainside. Time for bed; they left the tent collapsed in their bags and set up the sleeping mats right on the rock. They had zipped both sleeping bags together since they started their trek. Far easier to cuddle.

But sleep proved evasive for both of them; the light from the fire was distracting. Aeris eventually fumbled for her staff and the ice materia. Not the best plan in the end; the fire went out but it did so with a blast of icy air leaving them both shivering. Not wholly unwanted either; an excuse (as if she ever needed one) to snuggle closer to Tifa. Hands strayed to exposed skin and both forgot the chill, focusing only on each other.

After Aeris fidgeted around and onto her back. “Tifa...”

“Aeris.” Tifa rolled onto her side and in the dim light offered her a lazy smile.

Aeris grinned back. “Well. Of course. But look-” She pointed. The cave roof above them glowed with pin-pricks of light. A river of light stretched from the cave entrance across the roof and down to the far wall. Tributaries branched off along its length, these offshoots thinning out, leaving whorls and clusters of light before fading to nothing. “There are stars here.”

Tifa stared up. “So we got to see them afterall.”

“Yep. Wonder if anyone else has ever seen these?”

Tifa shrugged. “We could be the first. Hey; does that mean we get to make up the constellations and name them?”

“Absolutely.” Aeris’s finger traced a shape in the air. “That’s the mighty Chocobo right there. And that one? Where it’s eye is? That’s the Cloud Star.” They talked long into the night, cold and discomfort forgotten and between them remapped a private night sky.


End file.
